THE MATRIARCHS

   I ran into this scene while hiking between villages in the Cinque Terre area on the west coast of Italy. These women just struck me as the wise opinion leaders of the town chatting about the goings on of the people who lived there. These little Italian villages were so charming. There were vineyards in the country side and I believe they also grew lemons. The trail was scattered with exotic flowers. At sunset, many of the towns people came down to the edge of the water and watched the sun go down on the ocean. The children would run and play. They was a small outdoor restaurant where I was sipping some wine.